The Gadfly is a series of letters offering commentary on local issues and published in the Warrensburg Gazette.

Dear Editor

New Year's Predictions:

"Aunt Ida" tells us that all her neighbors put up gazing ball yard ornaments right after Christmas - must have been presents. She wondered if they'd started believing in the occult by gazing into a ball to forecast the future for Warrensburg. She figured that she could play the future predicting game, too, so she went out to the backyard, overturned her old bird bath, painted her bowling ball shiny silver, plopped it on top of the bird bath, and told me what she visualized.

2000 is an election year, so the candidates would bring "Aunt Ida" more pens and emery boards than she could use (until the next election). However, she predicted that the over- eager politicians vying for her vote would do more than make generic statements in fluffy brochures. She'll decide how to vote after a public question-and-answer forum without the frills, where folks like her could really grill the smiling, hand-shaking local political would-bes. The only direct prediction she'll make is that Mike Rich will be reelected to the City Council, since he's running unopposed.

"Aunt Ida" had a vision of the future of promoting her town. It seemed a bit utopian, but she decided to tell us anyway. She saw the Chamber actually soliciting and welcoming ideas from the public because everyone would benefit from more tourism. Her "crystal" bowling ball told her they're going to have to start doing something creative with the tourism tax money just to keep up, since Sedalia just doubled what they can spend.

Since "Aunt Ida" shined up that bowling ball, neighbors have avoided her peculiar yard art display, but she figures the new century will come whether or not anyone makes her predictions come true. And just to make sure she get's credit if they do come true, "Aunt Ida" wrote everything down she predicted. She's taking her soothsayer notes, wrapping them in the last issue of the "Warrensburg Gazette" for 1999, and sticking it all in her best popcorn tin to be buried underneath her "gazing" bowling ball-bird bath and not to be opened until the real millennium.